Get ready for Earth Week 2016 at Penn State! Activities and events are scheduled at not only University Park, but across the state at many of Penn State's campuses. Take part in the festivities that celebrate the treasures of our Earth and how we care for our planet.

The Sustainable Communities Collaborative will host the Spring 2016 Campus and Community Sustainability Expo on Monday, April 25, from 5 pm to 7 pm, at the State College Borough Building, 243 S. Allen Street. The expo will feature more than 20 projects undertaken by Penn State students on behalf of State College Borough, Ferguson Township, Foxdale Village, The Nature Inn, Friends & Farmers Co-op, Minitab, New Leaf, PSU Transportation Services, and PSU’s Arts Council. In addition, Green Teams at Penn State will showcase projects that they have implemented to advance sustainability at the university.

Penn State students are advocating for clean air and a clean environment by volunteering to pick up trash and cigarette butts across campus in honor of Earth Week. The tobacco and trash clean up will take place onWednesday, April 13.

Sustainability in the College of the Liberal ArtsMarch 2016Upcoming Events

Renewable energy expert to speak March 3 at Penn StateElizabeth Wilson, professor of energy and environmental policy and law at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota, will speak on “How Renewable Energy Really Gets on the Power Grid (or Doesn't)" from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, in room 114 of the Lewis Katz Building on Penn State’s University Park campus.

"Arctic Rhythms" Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky) on March 23Experience the polar regions as never before through the eclectic artistry of composer, author, musician, and 2014 National Geographic Emerging Explorer Paul D. Miller (aka DJ Spooky) on Wednesday, March 23, 2016 - 7:30pm to 8:30pm in Eisenhower Auditorium.

Penn State's Sustainability Institute and Center for Global Studies are co-sponsoring free screenings of This Changes Everything. Filmed over 211 shooting days in nine countries and five continents, the film shows viewers how communities across the globe are tackling the challenge of climate change. From Montana's Powder River basin and the Alberta Tar Sands to the streets of Beijing and Greece, activists, scientists, and author Naomi Klein challenge us to reimagine and reinvent the economic system that has brought about disruptive climate change.

On Friday, Feb 12th, join CentreBike, the Penn State Sustainability Institute, Active Lions, and your fellow cyclists for International Winter Bike to Work Day!

Meet us at the Old Main steps at 7:45 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 12 — we’ll have hot coffee and take a group photo at 7:55 a.m.. Active Lions will be on-hand with free giveaways. Can we beat last year’s attendance of 30 cyclists?

on Thursday, Feb. 25 from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. in 233A+B HUB-Robeson Center for a Brown Bag lunch to hear some of your fellow Green Team leaders present their successful events, followed by a brainstorming session on activities. Featured successes include Smeal's health workshop, Outreach's speaker series and COMMunity's "freeshop."

This was the question posed by the HUB Green Team at a recent event held at the HUB-Robeson Center’s food court. With help from Penn State’s Sustainability Institute, the HUB Green Team collected 32 bags of trash from the food court area during peak lunch hours. The intent was to determine how much of the waste in the trash bins could be recycled or composted — and where to make improvements in the waste management setup.

The School of International Affairs and the Center for Global Studies sponsors "Climate Change: Current Policy Challenge" a presentation by Dr. Richard Alley, Penn State. Open to the public and admission is free.

Penn State's Sustainability Institute and Center for Global Studies are co-sponsoring free screenings of This Changes Everything. Filmed over 211 shooting days in nine countries and five continents, the film shows viewers how communities across the globe are tackling the challenge of climate change. From Montana's Powder River basin and the Alberta Tar Sands to the streets of Beijing and Greece, activists, scientists, and author Naomi Klein challenge us to reimagine and reinvent the economic system that has brought about disruptive climate change.

For those who enjoy wildlife, fishing, nature walks, paddle sports and other streamside activities, the College of Agricultural Sciences is giving outdoor enthusiasts a chance to parlay those interests into becoming a citizen-scientist by observing and recording environmental and ecosystem changes. The only tool needed is a pencil or smartphone.

One of the topics covered by Denice Wardrop, director of Penn State's Sustainability Institute, at a Dec. 16 public meeting of the Commission for Women, was the Sustainability Institute's Reinvention Fund. This fund encourages deeper cross-disciplinary and holistic sustainability capacity across the entire University.

The question of whether it is environmentally correct to buy a real Christmas tree has been asked repeatedly in recent years, and an expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences wants to lay it to rest permanently. The answer, according to Ricky Bates, associate professor of ornamental horticulture, is an emphatic, "Yes!"

Project aims to improve food security by enhancing gender aspects of ag research

Recognizing the need to improve food security and enhance the well-being of rural populations in developing countries, a new Penn State project will provide intensive training for researchers that will help them to integrate gender-related dimensions into international agricultural research.

The Community Food Security Club and the Student Farm Club at Penn State will host a free screening and panel discussion of the documentary "A Place at the Table" from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 12, in 102 Thomas Building.

Penn State featured in an article in the Chronicle of HIgher Education. "Sustainability in higher ed is at such a critical point, such a threshold, and we are all collectively holding our breath," says Denice Wardrop, a professor of geography and ecology and the director of Penn State's Sustainability Institute.